Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is establishing Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) to kickstart major regeneration projects.
Bolton, Oldham, and Ashton and Stalybridge are in line for new MDCs that will spearhead new development, regenerate town centres, and deliver state-of-the-art sporting facilities and transport links.
MDCs are statutory bodies set up by the Mayor that are designed to speed up development and attract investment within a specific area.
They can take on broad powers including land acquisition, planning, and infrastructure functions. They also act as a single ‘front door’ for the private sector, and provide long-term certainty for partners and investors.
Burnham said: “Over the past decade, Greater Manchester has been the fastest growing economy in the UK – but we know that growth has not been felt equally in all parts of our city region.
“Our number one priority is to deliver a new decade of good growth that lifts all of our places, and the proud communities that call them home.
“That’s why we’re backing Bolton, Oldham, and Tameside with plans for new Mayoral Development Corporations – so they can remove barriers to development and bring forward new homes, jobs, and community assets for generations to come.”
Greater Manchester’s first MDC in Stockport, launched in 2019, is delivering 2,700 new homes, £600 million in private investment, and new employment space in the town’s business district.
It’s also seen the development of the new Stockport Interchange and the transformation of the historic Weir Mill into a new neighbourhood.
Last week marked the official establishment of the Old Trafford Regeneration MDC, which will drive forward the UK’s biggest sports-led regeneration project since London 2012 – delivering 15,000 new homes and 48,000 local jobs, a new 100,000-seater stadium for Manchester United, and a £7 billion boost to the national economy.
And in Middleton, chief executive of Co-operatives UK, Rose Marley, and actor and writer Steve Coogan will chair a new MDC, working with Rochdale Council and the local community and help the town grow and thrive.
Now, proposals are being put forward for three new MDCs in Greater Manchester.
In Bolton, a new MDC would help bring forward regeneration plans at multi-use sites including Church Wharf, where a new scheme supported by GMCA brownfield funding is creating homes, leisure, office, and retail space, Crompton Place a residential led mixed use development in Bolton Town Centre and Trinity Quarter, developing a new residential neighbourhood on brownfield land next to Bolton’s £48m Transport Interchange.
It would also support development of the NorthFold Growth Location – one of Greater Manchester’s six Growth Locations for targeting investment to spread the benefits of good growth across the city region.
In Oldham, the MDC would drive the £70 million SportsTown masterplan, transforming the town into a multi-sport centre of excellence, with state-of-the-art sporting, health, education, and community facilities centred around Boundary Park, improving infrastructure and creating new employment opportunities for residents.
It would also build on the regeneration of Oldham Town Centre with development partner Muse and the inspirational Northern Roots project. Oldham sits within the North East Growth Corridor, which also covers parts of Bury and Rochdale.
In Tameside, an MDC for Ashton and Stalybridge would create a new national blueprint for transport-led regeneration, making the best use of publicly owned land and transport infrastructure to boost development and economic growth between the two town centres, delivering at least 3,000 new homes for the borough.
The train line within the proposed MDC will be one of the first to be brought into the Bee Network – our integrated public transport network – and Ashton and Stalybridge both sit in the Eastern Growth Cluster Growth Location.
Greater Manchester’s trailblazing devolution deals and partnership approach have fuelled annual economic growth of 3.1% since 2015.
Last year the Mayor launched a 10-year Integrated Pipeline for growth – identifying high-impact housing, employment, and regeneration projects – underpinned by our £1 billion Good Growth Fund to pump-prime shovel-ready projects, delivering the maximum impact for public money spent.
And this month, the Mayor unveiled a plan to create and develop five growth-driving clusters across the city region, reindustrialising the birthplace of the industrial revolution and bringing through a new generation of high-skilled workers in high-value jobs of the future.
Nick Peel, Bolton council leader, said: “The ongoing regeneration of Bolton Town Centre has already delivered the Wellspring Innovation Hub, new urban neighbourhoods like Deansgate Gardens and Moor Lane, alongside vibrant public spaces and facilities like the Bolton Market Food Hall.
“As we look ahead to the flagship redevelopment of Crompton Place, a Mayoral Development Corporation will create even greater momentum behind the transformation of our town centre and the wider NorthFold growth location.
“This sends a clear message that Bolton is an essential partner in the Greater Manchester Strategy and the Good Growth Fund, as we work together to bring growth and opportunity to all parts of our city region.”
